Okay guys, hopefully I'm not jumping to conclusions, and there is still an xterra out there for me in my price range that fits. I'm just going to post my initial impressions on a test drive I took today at Nissan of Wayzata, MN.

The vehicle. 2002 Xterra XE. White exterior, grey interior, 55k, asking price: 13.5k

Grey interior=wow. I have been in a 92 dodge neon that felt more solid. The seats were great, windows rolled up fast, plenty of storage, but the plastic on the glove compartment, cup holders, and dash felt very flimsy. Pretty decent stereo/sound system, controls felt hollow. The drab grey didnt help hide imperfections in the plastic very well either.
Summary=Bored by the lack of any contrast/texture.

Exterior=Not a huge fan of the white, but it was accented well by all of the black peices. Loved the roof rack and its accessories. That it has a great stance. Was a little suprised by all of the small "patch" looking portions (factory) in the door jams. I noticed VERY small rust developing in some of those spots. Plastic wasnt faded, but could have used a pick-me-up. No big deal though. Summary=Liked it a lot.

Initial impressions during test drive: Sales guy talks a lot and knows nothing about the vehicle in question. Vehicle handles great, engine quiet at low RPMS. Noticed lack of hp pulling out of the parking lot, has adequate torque to make up for it though, (I expected this.) Handles corners fairly well, definately handles like a truck. Suspension soaked up a couple of potholes I searched out, no problem. Merging onto the highway=VERY dissapointed. Yes I knew it would have a lack of power, but didnt think I would get 2 downshifts and watch the revs skyrocket that quickly. Is quiet at 70 however, handles responsively, and is very smooth. Summary=Could get over lack of high end power, really suprised by lack of high end power, especially with how readily it downshifted. This motor should be turboed from the factory.

Overall=If I can find one with a nicer interior in the price range of 7-12 grand, I will keep looking. If not, I'm abandoning my search for an X.

This means no offense to any of you who own an x. They are great, and I would have bought one today had I found one with a nicer interior. And sorry guys, I dont have the 18 or more grand to pick up an 05 or newer. I did look at a couple though, and they are VERY nice.

I have a 2000 Se and I think power suck on it too. But I only wanted an SUV to haul around sportbikes and the family. But I little more power would be nice. I have really been thinking about trading for a pathfinder.

Great write-up on your impressions.

I don't know that you find any interior much different than that one as they are all basically the same colors/materials. Nissan's idea of simple and rugged and easy to maintain.

The main drawback, as you pointed out, is lack of power for passing/merging and climbing steep grades. You do get used to it however.

Not to brag, but the 05-07 has plenty of power. If you get a chance, drive one; it's like night and day. (But then again, so is the price difference.)

Woody

i dont know, when i go to pass in my 2000 se it has plenty of power, it dose downshift but it will still get up and go. even when i pulled a trailer from houston to amarillo it pulled fine, when i needed to pass i had all the power i wanted. but i guess that's just my opinion

I went and test drove my other two vehicles of choice right now.

As a long time Jeep guy, obviously the newer grand cherokee or WJ as it is termed, was one of my choices. I drove one with the 4.7 for about 30 minutes, and averaged much better MPG than I did in the xterra I drove. I was suprised by this quite a bit. The jeep did 0-60 in roughly 8 and a half seconds too. I was also quite shocked by the quality of the interior. I wont bore you all with the rest of the details. I was impressed, especially by the price tag, and the exact same model sitting in the bay being detailed. *it was a '99 4.7L with 218,000 miles on it, so Jeep did something right with the motor.

The other vehicle I drove was a '02 subaru WRX wagon. My first thought was, man...I dont want to get a wagon. After looking at it, I could tell it was very well built, the interior wasnt great, but it was fairly well laid out and looked...nice. The power and excelleration was excellent. The rear seats had decent leg room, but even as a wagon, it didnt have a whole lot more cargo space than the sedan. Granted you could put TALLER stuff in...I guess you could say its bigger. It also comes with a roof rack, which isnt an option on the sedan. It did 0-60 in under 6.5 seconds. It also averaged 24.5 mpg on my 30 min. test drive. I liked that a lot considering my foot was on the floor the whole time. It was grossly overpriced, and they are very hard to find locally though.

Are there any other vehicles I should be throwing under the ringer? I'm still interested in X's if I can find a nice one at a lower price, but I do want to keep from getting blinders in the search for a car.

I
The other vehicle I drove was a '02 subaru WRX wagon. ... but even as a wagon, it didnt have a whole lot more cargo space than the sedan. Granted you could put TALLER stuff in...I guess you could say its bigger.

The difference is that you can fold down the seats in wagon, but you can't in the sedan. It makes a big difference. I had the sedan and my wife had the wagon, and we could fit ALOT more stuff in her car.

Hello, Check out the recall's and other problems they have on the o2's. I just brought one....lots of little things..giving some problems.

power windows not rolling smoothly,knock sensors-defects, the 6 spark plugs almost impossible to change.

LOOK at Toyota Four runners!! ...I also had a Subura (legacy)..lots of power...NO ground clearance. Parts are very costly on the Subura and hard to get sometimes.

Aftermarket parts for the Toyota's are great.....it is limited on the Nissan Xterra's.

Go Toyota! ....I am stuck with my X ....BUT I like it anyway....Aloha

Check the Subaru Forester XT (or whatever the turbo version is). Tons of room, actually out-accellerates the WRX in the short run, and has plenty of clearance. Add in the more comfy seats (hey, I'm 40), and it's a better deal, IMHO. If you're buying a used one, it probably hasn't been abused as much, either.

It was my first choice, but after driving the 07 Xterra, it was my second.

Woody

Thanks for the replies guys. I did look at the forester XT's but decided I would feel just too...:ugogirl:driving one.

My biggest problem with the wrx wagons right now are the insurance rates on them (even being a wagon they are still high) the hard time Im having even finding any around here, and worse, them being overpriced when I do.

The Jeeps are plentiful, and are very reasonably priced for what you end up getting.

I hear you... put an NRA sticker on the back. That should go a long way towards retaining your testosterone. :D

Woody

Part of the right answer depends on what you will use it for.

As an X Jeep guy myself...and having wheeled with grands, etc...they can do a great job off road with the right mods...just like the X.

The differences between the X, and say a WRX, is that the Suby (I Have Subies too), is that the Suby is pavement bound...whereas the X can do the Rubicon, etc.

If NOT going off road...the X loses much appeal...its a truck, it has a truck frame, you can do a body lift, and so forth, and even if you roll it, the mechanicals, etc still work (The body can come off, etc...).

When we roll a grand or a cherry, they are totaled...(No frame....unibodies). roll an X, roll it back, and drive on.

:D

More like the wranglers (Real frame, etc).

For pure off road work...the Wrangler is my weopon of choice.

For DD duty, combined with off roading for work and play...the X is hard to beat.

The damn beast takes a lickin and keeps on tickin.

It has the room I need to carry my work equipment deep into the boonies, and the ground clearance and traction I need to get ther and back, etc.

The Grand hauls ASS, and has a great traction system option available...but is short on ground clearance, and to fit 33's, requires MUCH more work. (A 2" B, and 33's fit the X...etc.)

So - for street work/foul weather...the Subies are awsome, good on mileage, and for me at least, very reliable.

The grands are also as street practical as the suby...but strangley short on room considering their overall size...and too expensive to off road for me...but do have potential if you have the $.

The Toys have some nice options, but are overpriced for the most part...but the one's I wheeled have been great, except for popping the damn birfield joints all the time.